Navatek and Front Street Shipyard cooperate on $8 million ONR project

“Maine is home to the best shipbuilders in the world...

Honolulu, Hawaii, headquartered Navatek LLC has been awarded an $8 million contract from the U.S. Navy Office of Naval Research (ONR) for advanced planing hull research. It will focus on pursuing new science and technology for safer hulls and hybrid-electric propulsion systems for fast boats.

Navatek, which as an office in Portland, Me., will work directly with Front Street Shipyard in Belfast, Me., which will combine its “Built in Maine” composites experience with Navatek’s research strength. Front Street Shipyard will build the Navatek prototypes and collaborate on testing at sea. The science and technology advancets from this research will benefit all the Navy’s small craft programs.

“Maine is home to the best shipbuilders in the world, and our state has long had an integral role in our national security,” said U.S. Senator Collins (R.-Me).,” said U.S. Senator Collins (R.-Me).”Navatek’s engineering and research strength combined with Front Street Shipyard’s composites experience will benefit all of the Navy’s small-craft programs.” “As a senior member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I strongly advocated for the funding that made this research possible and am so proud of the work Navatek and other Maine companies do to support our Navy and our nation’s defense.”

Martin Kao, CEO of Navatek LLC, said, “Our company is committed the State of Maine, and thanks to Senator Collins’ support, we have been able to partner with the University of Maine and the State’s boat building ecosystem to address the Navy’s new challenges and needs.”

Building on Mr. Kao’s comments, J.B Turner, president of Front Street Shipyard, added, “We believe our experience with advanced composite construction for boats will provide a key advantage to our Navy, and we are happy to team with Navatek to use our combined capabilities in this area through this new research program.”